With a Class C team championship in hand, the Cazenovia girls tennis team turned its collective attention toward seeking more honors during the Section III Division III singles and doubles tournaments early last week.
At Syracuse University’s Skytop courts, the Lakers would ultimately get three of its players to advance to this week’s state qualifier at Drumlins – Alex Galle in singles, Laura Connor and Julie Silverman in doubles.
Connor and Silverman did not lose a set in advancing to the semifinals, routing Elaina and Madeline Mahoney (Marcellus) 6-2, 6-0 and then shutting out Melissa Biver and Caroline Hagen (Skaneateles) 6-0, 6-0.
The semifinal against Westhill’s sister duo of Grace and Katie Lesselroth was not played until two days later. Rested, Connor and Silverman won, 7-6, 6-2, and advanced to the finals.
Against the top-seeded Christian Brothers Academy duo of Grace Coyne and Mikayla Santulli, Connor and Silverman improved as the match went on, but still lost a 6-3, 7-5 decision.
Over in singles, Galle would roll through the first two rounds in her bracket, defeating Phoenix’s Gianna DeRoberts 6-1, 6-0 before running into her own teammate, Lucy Langan, who handled Holland Patent’s Madison Brown 6-1, 6-3.
In their quarterfinal duel, Galle swept Langan 6-4, 6-1, only to take a 6-4, 6-2 semifinal defeat to Christian Brothers Academy’s Gieselle Vlassis.
The Lakers’ other singles player, Julia Barrett, won an 8-6 set over Ella Danforth (Skaneateles) to escape the opening round, only to fall to Vlassis 6-0, 6-0 in the round of 16.
Elsewhere in the doubles bracket, Cazenovia’s Abby Burrell and Meg Milmoe beat MIkaya Cusick and Alyssa Goodwin (Marcellus) 8-2 but lost in the next round to Maryam Kirch and Abby Rockwood (Lowville) 6-2, 6-1.
Annika Bruno and Lizzy Druke had their own first-round match, handling Savannah Fish and Kaitlyn Mesler (South Jefferson) 8-1, but taking a 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 defeat to Haidyn Hawkes and Lydia Houser (Camden).
Chittenango competed in the Division II sectional tournament at Utica Parkway Courts and saw its doubles team of Coralee Everett and Morgan-Shae Gondeck win three matches to advance to the state qualifier.
Everett and Gondeck won, 10-1, over Erin Houghtaling and Alexis Stone (East Syracuse Minoa) and, in the round of 16, topped Kylie Cleary and Karlie Cubino (Whitesboro) 6-1, 6-4.
In the quarterfinals, Everett and Gondeck again prevailed in straight sets, topping Oneida’s Meghan Friske and Molly Moyer 6-3, 6-1. Only in the semifinals did the Bears’ pair stumble as Oneida’s Briana Laureti and Lauren Skibitski beat them 6-0, 6-0.
Two other Chittenango teams were in the bracket, with Nadia Cannistra and Alexandra Drake winning over Sarah Boyce and Kayci Olson (Cortland) in the opening round before a 7-6, 6-4 defeat to ESM’s Christine Andrews and Sheija Hujdur.
Shelby Maring and Brenna Stanton lost in that same opening round, while in singles Shannon Koegel beat Natasha Archibald (Indian River) 10-5 before a 6-2, 6-1 defeat to New Hartford’s Sarah Corasanti. Anna Rooney lost, 10-7, to Homer’s Marlena Kruman.
Everett, Gondeck, Connor, Silverman and Galle are all headed to Drumlins, where the state qualifier starts Tuesday, leading to next Thursday’s finals. Only the top three singles and doubles finishers advance to the Oct. 27-29 state tournament at Tri-City Tennis in Latham.
